Earlier this year, Gigabyte announced what may be a way too early future-proofing technology with its latest power supply. The UD1000GM PG5 not only offers 1000 watts of power to carry the most-demanding video cards and systems on the market, but comes with a caveat that won’t be readily available to the market for a while. Gigabyte has included a port on this power supply that supports PCI-Express 5.0. The 16-pin connector is one of the choices on the unit as it comes with a high-quality native 16-pin cable, along with the other cables needed to run your system. This technology is the future of powering graphics cards and whether it’s just high end versions of these cards or an entire suite, this power supply will maximize the potential of any setup. This fully modular power supply offers everything needed for a high-end system with cooling technology behind it at a solid price.

There are a few important caveats to look for when investing in a power supply. The UD1000GM comes in with an 80-Plus Gold Certification and includes some thermal solutions to help keep the unit cool and quiet. Having come from a Rosewill 1000 watt power supply, I always assumed the noise from the system was just the fans. Installing this Gigabyte unit into the system dropped the noise by nearly half to where the fans stand out by themselves. This is accomplished by a combination of the enhanced thermal solution and a 120mm smart hydraulic bearing fan. This model also includes high-quality main Japanese capacitors that last up to four times longer than conventional capacitors and also allow for a steady flow of power that is ideal for overclockers. This will allow for increased stability with an overclocked setup that also alleviates the fear of damaging the power supply.

Breaking down this enhanced thermal solution focuses on maximizing airflow through the unit. Compared to a standard heatsink, the UD1000GM PG5 is double the size and has allowed for a percentage increase of 10% while also allowing more longevity from the unit. This unit does not get hot, even under load. The fan speed is automatically adjusted adjusted based on automatic power detection and will go idle when usage dips below 20%. The length of the power supply has also been reduced to 140mm so it can fit any build for users. Users can also expect protection for over/under voltage, over current, over temperature, over power and short circuit. With the underlying focus on including premium products within its design, the UD1000GM makes the most out of offering consistent power for not only testing benchmarks on a high end system, but pushing overclocks to the limit.

There are other wattages available for this line of power supplies from Gigabyte, but only this model supports the PCI-Express 5.0. This power supply means that users will immediately have the option to take advantage of the next generation graphics cards that support this power integration. Once the power of the PCI-E 5.0 is enabled to the world, this one cable will carry 600 watts of power as the need for multiple PCI-E cables and connectors will be alleviated. Of course, it works with previous generation video cards and offers a fully modular cable design so users can pick and choose what is needed. There aren’t an abundant amount of hookups on the power supply, so most likely you’ll be using all the ports, anyhow. The power supply comes with one 20+4 motherboard cable, two 4+4 CPU cable, one 16-pin PCI-E 5.0 cable, four 6+2 pin PCI-E cables, eight SATA, three MOLEX and one floppy. Lastly, this power supply is smaller and lighter in comparison to others which allows for better flexibility for any setup. The length of the UD1000GM PG5 comes in at 140mm as compared to a traditional 150mm.

If you know you’ll be picking up a top-of-the-line next generation video card that may or may not offer PCI-E 5.0 technology to power the card, then you can’t go wrong with this. Also, if you are one to benchmark a high end system or currently are looking for a power supply that delivers consistent power while maximizing the potential of your system, this unit does the trick. While this power supply retails for $189.99, Amazon currently has it reduced at $159.99. Gigabyte also offers a ten year warranty on this model to help solidify the longevity of the UD1000GM PG5. While this is an early release for future proofing technology that will be coming, Gigabyte has made sure to offer the longevity and the build quality needed for any high end setup within the next ten years. Specifications for the UD1000GM PG5 are listed below.